FEDERMAN'S BLOG [the laugh that laughs at the laugh...]

Laugh: yes because when some guy weeps somewhere in the world there is always some other guy who laughs somewhere else: happy balance! Never fails its normal equilibrium: laugh or cry it all comes out the same in the end!

A disturbing rumor is circulating in the zone of the carcasses – it seems that a newly-arrived-fresh-carcass from a troubled region of the planet earth is trying to convince the resident carcasses that it is time for them to get rid of the authorities and form a new system to decide how and when the carcasses should be transmuted – this newly-arrived-fresh carcass claims that she knows what she's talking about because she was involved and implicated in a revolution on planet earth even though that revolution failed – reason in fact for her being such a young fresh carcass – she was tortured and put to death by the agents of the totalitarian government the revolutionaries wanted to overthrow – it seems then that this newly-arrived-fresh-carcass -- to accelerate this chapter newly-arrived-fresh-carcass will be given as nafc – is spreading revolutionary ideas in the carcass zone -- she argues that this is the perfect moment to overthrow the authorities – especially since they are getting more and more tyrannical – nafc explains that once the authorities are removed the carcasses will then be in total control of their transmutation destiny – they will even be able to choose themselves the kind of species and even gender they would like to become when transmuted – the recently arrived carcasses agree with nafc and are willing to start the revolt immediately – but the old carcasses oppose this idea – especially those who have been stuck in the zone from time immemorial without ever having been transmuted – these old carcasses are very reactionary because they really don’t want the conditions in the carcass zone to change for it would certainly affect the possibility of their possible transmutation – a notion which for most of these old faded carcasses is pure delusion – these old faded carcasses – who will now be called ofcs to accelerate this chapter – are worried that such subversive ideas will destroy the stability of the zone – for in spite of the seemingly chaotic conditions one notices upon arriving in the zone there is a kind of symmetry in the way the piles of carcasses are situated in various regions the zone – when new carcasses arrive they do not simply flop on top of any pile – they are directed – mysteriously directed towards a specific pile – reason in fact for one of the piles to be bigger and higher than the others – it is known as the earth pile – for it seems that more carcasses arrive from a certain direction in the universe which according to the authorities points to planet earth – anyway excuse the digression – we wanted only to show how things fonction in the zone of carcasses – back to the nafcs – that's the name the ultra revolutionary carcasses are now called because of their leader -- the nafc who is leading the revolt – back also to the objections of the ofcs – the ofcs argue that when the authorities granted the carcasses a voice in the decision concerning their transmutation this was enough of a concession – they fear that if more is asked of the authorities the carcasses may lose what they have gained – but the nafcs argue that the concession given by the authorities is fraudulent because when a transmutation is about to take place it is the authorities who have the final word – for more details about that earlier futile revolt see the last pages of chapter one -- meanwhile the nafcs continue to spread their slogans everywhere in the zone of carcasses – they explain that once the authorities are overthrown a committee will be formed to which all the carcasses – young and old -- new and faded – will be able to submit their transmutation requests – all the carcasses will be equal – the young carcasses are all in favor of this revolution and want to get started immediately – but the old carcasses lament that if there is such a revolt only the young carcasses will be rewarded – and transmuted first – because of their participation in the revolution -- the ofcs who did not participate in the action because of their rather pathetic condition will continue to vegetate for eternities without any hope of ever being transmuted – but even among the nafcs there is dissension – two groups -- two clans -- two sects – one should perhaps call them political parties -- are formed -- there are those who want the revolution to take place immediately without any delay in the entire zone of carcasses – let's screw the whole system -- that's the moto of this faction of fanatic nacfs – the nafcs of the other faction believe it would be more prudent to go slowly -- not overthrow the authorities all at once but subtly and gradually because no one knows what power and what secret means of defense they have – these reluctant nafc feel that an immediate revolt in every region of the zone is doomed to failure because of a lack of preparation and a lack of knowledge about the power of the authorities – they say that first it is important to infiltrate the authorities and gradually undermine their power – the fanatic nafcs shout back that everything must go at once – tabulae rasae – everything has to go back to zero – the prudent nafcs reply that it is impossible to go back to the origin of the zone when conditions were paradisiac – there has been too much corruption in the zone – there are discussions debates meetings furtive demonstrations – even scuffles – manifestoes are being circulated -- all this secretly in order not to attract the attention of the authorities – reason why this revolt is known only a rumor – but one of the ofcs who is convinced that such a revolution would condemn her to remain un-transmuted for eternities sneaks into the bureaus of the authorities and denounces the nacf who is preaching and leading the revolt – she’s immediately convoked to appear before the authorities and asked for an explanation and to name all the nafcs involved in this conspiracy – having gone through such an interrogation on planet earth the nafc refuses to answer – she is tortured but does not crack – she knows that she cannot die since she's already a carcass -- but that does not mean that she cannot feel pain – and the authorities have very violent and persuasive tools of torture – still the nafc resists – she's told that if she doesn’t name those who are involved in this rebellion she will never be transmuted – but she know from her experience on planet earth that even if she denounces the her comrades she will be thrown on the pile of carcasses known as the pile of eternal carcasses at perpetuity – it is the worse condition - the most terrible fate for a carcass to know that she will never be transmuted – not even as an ugly vegetable – like a topinambour – or as a ridicule object – like a chamber pot –

meanwhile the secret forces of the authorities – known as the authoritarian militia – are in the process of arresting all those who are involved because even if the nacf did not give their names -- the ofcs denounced them – no need to say more about the pathetic failure of this revolution – what will happen now in the zone of the carcasses will be told in a subsequent chapter – but as it is now said and repeated in the zone of the carcasses since the miscarriage of this revolt – the more it changes the more it is the same –

2002 THE TWILIGHT OF THE BUMS (Microfiction, with George Chambers). Altx Press [Boulder, Colorado] Also available as an E- book from Altx.com. German translation (Suhrkamp Verlag), 1998, under the title Penner-Rap. Radio play adaptation under the title The Dialogues of the Bums, Bayerischer Rundfunk, 1997.

2001 LOOSE SHOES: A life Story of Sorts (Fiction in English & French). Weidler Buchverlag (Berlin). German translation under the title Offene Schuhe [same publisher]. Loose Shoes -- Musical composition by Michael Riessler performed in Munich, Ulm, Frankfurt, Cologne, May 2000.

1999 THE PRECIPICE AND OTHER CATASTROPHES (Collected Plays, bilingual edition, English/German). Poetry Salzburg (Austria). Radio play adaptation by Deutschland Radio (Berlin) 1998.

1998 FEDERMAN : FROM A to X-X-X-X [A Recyclopedic Narrative, Edited by Larry McCaffery, Douglas Rice, Thomas Hartl, in collaboration with the author]. San Diego State University Press. Limited edition.

1996 THE LINE (Fiction, chapbook, special limited edition). The Club of Odd Volumes (Amherst, New York). Limited edition. Translated into French.

It was his generosity which initially impressed me, the continuity and inclusion in his storytelling. In fact, being in the same room with Federman is a lot like reading one of his books--sprinkled with double-dashes, at times conspicuously free of punctuation. At other times, he rewrites the story while you watch, and in his transparency, in his willingness to show you the form, you forget there is a writer at all...

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